The University of South Florida is one of the nation’s top public research universities and one of only 25 public research universities nationwide with very high research activity that is designated as community engaged by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. In USF, students are encouraged to participate in meaningful research that seeks to change lives for the better, to collaborate across fields of study, and to connect to local and global communities through service learning, activism and volunteerism.

USF serves more than 47,000 students in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota-Manatee and Lakeland. The University offers 232 degree programs at the undergraduate, graduate, specialist and doctoral levels, including 89 bachelor, 97 master, two ed specialist, 36 research doctoral, and four professional doctoral programs.

While Florida has established minimum admission standards for all state universities, USF's admission requirements are significantly more competitive.

USF is one of only three Florida public universities classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in the top tier of research activities, a distinction attained by only 2.2 percent of all universities.

Both freshman and transfer admission decisions are made on a rolling basis as application files are completed. Each applicant is considered individually, taking into account grades, rigor of curriculum and standardized test scores. Many of USF's graduate programs are recognized as being among the nation's best -- unsurpassed in their ability to prepare students to contribute to a challenging world. Graduate Certificates provide experiences in a more accessible, focused format. Continuing Education provides opportunities for personal enrichment or for developing professional skills. Metro Initiatives/USF4YOU offers a variety of services to increase access to educational programs designed for working adults.